Rebuttal to Is there a downside to mass-transit? Part 2 of 2

Mass-transit is a hot topic in Ohio these days. Yesterday I posted a testimony given by the President of the Ohio Contractors Association against the construction of mass transit. Today I give you one of the rebuttals. Ken Prendergast, Executive Director of All Aboard Ohio, issued a response in the Columbus Dispatch arguing that

"It is apparent that the Ohio Contractors Association, which represents the highway-contracting industry and lobbies for increasing gasoline taxes, has been feeding at the highway-funding trough for so long that it believes that our gasoline taxes are an ever-expanding entitlement program for its own benefit. Travel between major cities in Ohio continues to be important for our economic vitality and growth. I agree that the highway system is the primary means of transporting individuals and goods within and through Ohio and needs to be in a state of good repair."

Read his full op-ed here. Obviously both arguments are made by people who have obvious motives. What are your thoughts? Will Mass-transit burden Ohioans and lead to more deaths or is it the opening to reinvigorate economic development?